


Leave the Past in the Past

by agoldengalaxy



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Fights, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Minor Injuries, Season 3 Spoilers, blood tw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 12:01:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28974012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agoldengalaxy/pseuds/agoldengalaxy
Summary: “Get the fuck away from him!” A familiar voice roared, making the Cobra Kais look away. Weakly, Demetri picked up his head just a little, squinting in the darkness. Blurred vision could pick up the unmistakably red mohawk of his best friend at the end of the small alley, chest heaving. At first, Demetri thought he must have been imagining the way Eli was shaking, but it was with a start that he realized he actually was shaking; but not with fear. He was shaking with anger.
Relationships: Demetri/Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz
Comments: 12
Kudos: 117





	Leave the Past in the Past

**Author's Note:**

> fell down the rabbit hole lmao I love binary boyfriends
> 
> kudos/comments always appreciated!

“I was right, wasn’t I?” Demetri asked, raising a brow expectantly as he pulled on his jacket.

“Yeah, you were. The thirteenth doctor  _ is  _ badass.” Eli smirked and lifted a hand. Demetri was getting used to this new version of his best friend; he was still good old Eli, but now with a  _ lot  _ more confidence. And he honestly really, really liked it. That smirk was enough to make his stomach flip.

Clasping his hand, he moved in close to do a ‘bro hug’. He never thought he’d be cool enough to do something like that, but then again, a lot had changed in the past few months. He wasn’t going to deny that it felt pretty nice.

It was a school night and Eli had invited him over to get himself caught up on  _ Doctor Who.  _ It was getting late, so he had to get home before his mother threw a fit. He waved goodbye, adjusting his jacket, and headed outside.

The fact that he had his best friend back was all that really mattered to him. He’d had Sam and Robby before, and even Miguel, but it hadn’t been the same. He’d missed Eli. A lot. So when the apology had come, he’d been eager to accept it. He was ready to leave the past behind them, though Eli spent much of their free time and empty space with more apologies. Demetri patiently accepted them each time, knowing it made Eli feel better to do so. To him, he was just glad that Eli realized what a  _ dick _ he’d been recently and that now he could go back to being the same old Eli.

Although the rest of Miyagi-Do and even Eagle Fang were wary when it came to Eli, Demetri knew for sure that he was back to being himself for a few reasons. One, his humor no longer included making fun of anyone else. Two, his eyes no longer burned with that hatred he’d seen in the mall and in the arcade. They were soft again, full of regret. And three, his answer when Demetri asked, “Why didn’t you watch  _ Doctor Who  _ when it was coming out?”

“Because that was our thing. I didn’t...it felt wrong watching it without you. Well, also because I thought I was over it. Stop! Don’t make it weird, dude!”

Demetri smiled to himself as he slowly walked down the sidewalk, hands stuck in his pocket. He knew he probably shouldn’t have forgiven so quickly, especially after he broke his arm, but he didn’t have it in him to turn him down. He knew the other kids in Miyagi-Do had his best interests in their hearts when they warned him to be careful around Hawk, but they didn’t know Eli like he did. He meant more to him than anything else in the world. And having him by his side again was all he could have asked for.

“Hey! Look who it is!”

He’d stopped at the corner of the street near a little alley where the dumpsters sat, having not walked very far due to being lost in his thoughts and gratitude. Looking up, his blood ran cold, seeing three unfortunately familiar faces standing across the street. Two Cobra Kai lackeys whose names completely escaped him, and the scary girl who picked the fight with Sam and convinced Eli to break his arm. Tory.

They had those shit-eating grins on their faces, and Demetri gulped as they began to approach him. “L-Look, guys, I don’t want any trouble -”

“Don’t worry, nerd. It’s nothing personal,” one of the boys sneered, and the other laughed.

“You’re the reason Hawk left Cobra Kai. We don’t take it lightly,” Tory continued, stopping just a few feet in front of him, arms crossed over his chest. “He’s all but dead to us now, but we don’t show mercy. Not to a traitor.” She crossed the gap so that she stood so close, he could almost feel her breath on his neck. “He’s not here to save you this time.”

Demetri’s mind and heart raced. He was hopelessly outnumbered, and the fact that it was Tory of all people meant he absolutely stood no chance. There was no way they’d let him just leave, either. So he had no physical response. He couldn’t do anything. He just stood there, paralyzed. After all, he wouldn’t make the first move. “Just leave us alone,” he said, finally finding his voice. “Don’t you see what you’ve become? Eli wasn’t going to be just another one of Kreese’s...child soldiers! That doesn’t mean he’s a traitor, it means he’s a good person! Unlike you!”

His words didn’t exactly have the effect he’d been going for. The three of them just laughed, and before he could even process the response, Tory had punched him in the face. He staggered back, feeling the unfortunately familiar feeling of warm blood trickle down his nose. And he took a deep breath. Well, if he was going to go down, he was going to go down fighting. Putting his hands up in a defensive position, he took a deep breath, imagining he was back in the freezer. Time slowed, and he dodged an incoming kick from one of the boys, landing a punch to his gut and turning to attempt to sweep Tory’s legs. She jumped out of the way and the second boy charged him, but Demetri was faster, pulling all his strength into a kick to push him backward.

Blowing hair out of her face, Tory ran with surprising speed and landed a hard kick to Demetri’s stomach. He doubled over, which resulted in elbows raining down upon his spine. He fell to his hands and knees, and with another kick to his face for good measure, he let out a pained cry and fell face down on the concrete, seeing stars and trying to get his breath back. “No mercy,” Tory sneered as one of the boys spit on the ground inches from Demetri’s face. For a long moment, he fought to stay conscious, almost certain he had just been given a concussion.

“Get the  _ fuck _ away from him!” A familiar voice roared, making the Cobra Kais look away. Weakly, Demetri picked up his head just a little, squinting in the darkness. Blurred vision could pick up the unmistakably red mohawk of his best friend at the end of the small alley, chest heaving. At first, Demetri thought he must have been imagining the way Eli was shaking, but it was with a start that he realized he actually was shaking; but not with fear. He was shaking with anger.

Tory straightened up, glaring at him. “So you’ve finally faced us again, traitor. I told you this wasn’t over.”

“Your fight’s with me, not Demetri,” Eli snarled, walking right up to her without fear. For a moment, Demetri was almost afraid of the sheer intensity, remembering when that anger used to be directed at  _ him.  _ Now it was to protect him. “If you think I’m a traitor, fine, if you think I’m a coward, fine. But you…” he put his hands up, breathing already irregular. “You are gonna pay for this.”

Tory huffed and the boys stood on either side of her, leaving Demetri alone. “So high and mighty, Hawk,” she teased coldly. “If only you cared as much for us as you did for this worthless little punk. Or did you not remember?  _ You  _ broke his arm!”

For a moment, Eli faltered, and Demetri knew she would use that opportunity to strike. He squeezed his eyes shut, hearing a crisp kick and a pained groan from his best friend before opening his eyes wide again. “Eli! Don’t listen to her!” he managed, voice strained. “I don’t care about that! We’re -”

One of the boys kicked him hard in the side. “Shut up.”

Eli let out a yell; it was primal, one Demetri had never, ever expected to hear from his timid childhood friend. And then he charged Tory, and they fought. Demetri’s vision went in and out, but he knew he couldn’t just lay there. Eli was a good fighter, but he wouldn’t be able to take on three Cobra Kai fighters at once.

So he placed his palms on the ground and pushed upward. On his hands and knees, he felt nauseous, but he took one moment to breathe before drawing himself to his feet, one arm draped across his aching stomach. One of the boys noticed out of the corner of his eye and smirked, walking up to him. “Still got some fight left, huh? Respect. Too bad that won’t be enough.”

He took a moment to breathe and collect himself; sense where the enemy was going. Dodging a punch, Demetri moved as quickly as possible and swept the boy’s leg out from under him, surprised to find he’d had enough strength and energy within him to make him fall flat on his back. It seemed Eli had already taken care of the other boy, who lay groaning against the dumpster. The two Cobra Kais exchanged a look, scrambled to their feet, and ran.

Tory and Eli were still engaged in an angry fight. They seemed to be evenly matched, but the girl barely seemed fazed by the fact her two cronies had left. Demetri watched, barely able to catch up with what was happening until all of a sudden, Eli had pinned Tory against the ground. He punched her, then again, then again. Demetri could almost see the red that he must have been seeing; or maybe it was just the girl’s blood.

“E-Eli, stop! Let her go!” he pleaded, just as his knees gave out and he fell back to the pavement. Both Eli and Tory stopped, and the former quickly got to his feet, pointing a shaky figure toward her.

“Don’t you  _ ever _ touch him again.” His voice was low, clearly barely containing the urge to yell again before he ran to Demetri’s side.

Tory scoffed, wiping blood from her nose as she got to her feet, adjusting her jacket. “See you at the tournament,  _ Eli _ ,” she sneered, before leaving. Then they were alone.

“Are you okay?!” he asked, his tone immediately dropped of all anger, kneeling beside him. “Do you think you can walk?”

Demetri blinked, taking in Eli’s frame. He didn’t seem to be very hurt at all, which was a relief, and his eyes were a strange, unnatural mix of both anger and softness. “Yeah. I’m okay,” he said, not wanting to make Eli any angrier with the possibility that he might not be. He also didn’t have an answer to that second question.

Eli blew out a long breath, helping Demetri sit up, then draped his arm around his shoulders. With surprising strength, he pulled them both to their feet. “I can’t believe -” he stopped mid-sentence and Demetri knew he was going to say  _ I can’t believe they would do this _ . But he had to stop himself, because of course Cobra Kai would do this. “I can’t believe I ever thought Tory was my friend,” he mumbled instead as they slowly walked back toward Eli’s house.

Demetri felt incredibly weak. “I know.” They walked the rest of the way in silence, pouring their concentration into walking. Demetri tried not to lean too heavily against Eli, but his legs felt like jelly. His thoughts couldn’t help but wander toward the strong muscles that kept him upright. Eli had always been very scrawny, so it was a sort of pleasant surprise.

Before long they hobbled inside, and Eli set him down on the couch. “Everything’s gonna be okay. Hold on.”

“Eli - my mom -”

“I’ll handle it. Just rest.” And then he left his side, and all Demetri could do was lay there, staring at the ceiling, his entire body completely sore. The blood from his nose had left a trail along the street, but it must have stopped somewhere along the way. 

The way Eli had shouted played on repeat in his mind. The sheer anger, the protectiveness, the way he had roared,  _ Get the fuck away from him! _ While anyone else might have been afraid of this, Demetri...well, he just kind of felt warm inside, despite the situation. Now he had more proof that he was still good old Eli, even if he had changed a lot.

Eli returned a few minutes later, sitting on the edge of the couch to gently dab away the blood on Demetri’s face. “My mom’s calling your mom. I’m sure you can stay the night.” He cleared his throat. “What else hurts?”

“Um...everything, really. But it’s just sore. Nothing’s broken.” Demetri gauged the other’s reaction, watching the way his jaw clenched just a little. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m gonna be okay.” They were both quiet, unsaid things swirling in the silence. “...Are you thinking about what Tory said?”

_ “If only you cared as much for us as you did for this worthless little punk. Or did you not remember? You broke his arm!” _

Eli winced and Demetri regretted bringing it up. “Look, I already forgave you, okay? You don’t have to -”

“Shut up, Demetri!” he huffed, and Demetri did, surprised. This wasn’t the reaction he normally got. Something about tonight set Eli off even more than usual. He sighed, looking away. “I’m sorry. It’s…” it seemed like he couldn’t bring himself to look at him. “When I...did that, I didn’t know what to do with myself afterward. And I realized at the party that I  _ never  _ wanted to see you get hurt ever again. But I wasn’t fast enough this time.”

The words washed over him, and Demetri blinked a couple of times. “But you still saved me.”

“I know, I know. But it doesn’t make up for it. I mean, look at you.”

“Eli,” he said softly, propping himself up on his elbows, trying to get him to look him in the eye. “Hey. I don’t care that you broke my arm, alright? How many times do I have to tell you I forgive you, huh? All this time I just wanted things to go back to normal. And we’re friends again. So it’s fine.”

Eli’s jaw was still clenched tight. And then he looked down. “You don’t understand.”

Demetri smiled patiently. “Then help me understand. I’m not a mind reader.”

There was silence for a long moment. They stared into each other’s eyes; those brown eyes that Demetri loved more than anything, and he waited for an answer. “Because…” Eli groaned loudly, looking away. “Because  _ I’m in love with you _ , dammit! I bullied you because I was scared of my own fucking feelings!”

Time stopped and Demetri’s breath left him. He was stuck, frozen, staring at his best friend who he had been in love with for so many years. His mind raced and so did his heart, but he couldn’t think of anything to say.  _ Eli loved him _ . All of a sudden, the pain in his stomach was just a dull throb and he sat up straight, staring. Eli stared back. They were close.

He closed his eyes and leaned forward, pressing his lips against his. Almost immediately, he could feel the tension leaving Eli’s body, and it didn’t take long to have the kiss be returned. Eli’s hand came to cup his cheek and the kiss turned just a little rougher. They had been waiting years to do this; who could blame them?

Eventually, though, Demetri pulled back for air, his eyes opening slowly as he let out an incredulous laugh. “I’ve...wanted to do that for so long.”

Eli stared at him, still holding his face in his hand, a stupid grin on his face. “How about another?”

It wasn’t a dream. This was real, and it had taken literal blood and tears for them to get here, but he couldn’t be happier. He smiled. “You bet.” They kissed again, and it was just as amazing as the first time.

Demetri could certainly get used to this. Maybe without the personal injuries next time, though.


End file.
